Method of making rubber shoes



Nov. 5, 1935- E. P. HEDOLIN METHOD OF MAKING RUBBER SHOES Filed June 21; 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet BY INVEYNTOR fans/Qua E 112001;!

ATTORNEY.

NOV. 5, 1935- E; HEDOLIN 2,020,182

METHOD OF MAKING RUBBER SHOES Filed June 21, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.6. 8

ATTOR N EY Patented Nov. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE a. cbrporatitn' otCo'n'necticu't Application June 21, 1932, Serial o.i'e s,54o 3 Claims. (01. 12-142) This invention relates to shoes and more parliable to infection.

7 Other objects of the invention will be appreciated by those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following specification.

The invention will be fully and comprehensively understood from a consideration of the following detailed description when read in commotion with the accompanying drawings which form part of the application with the understanding, however, that the improvement is capable of extended application and is not confined to the exact showing of the drawings nor to the precise construction described and, therefore, such changes and modifications may be made therefrom as do not affect the spirit of the invention nor exceed the scope thereof as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig.1 is a side elevation of 'my improved rubber shoe.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a blank from which the upper of the shoe is formed.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the open shoe taken substantially at the position indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective View show- 7 ing the reenforcement of the throat of the shoe.

Fig. 6 is a plan View illustrating the step in my method of pressing or stitching the rear edges of the shoe upper together.

Fig. 7 is a similar view illustrating a step in my method of simultaneously trimming and pressing into adhering relation the upper and sole of the shoe.

Fig. 8 is another plan view showing the application of a reenforcing strip to the edges of the upper and sole.

Fig. 9 is still another plan view illustrating the application of'a reenforcing strip to the rear of the upper; and

Fig. 19 is edge elevation of apparatus for use inperforming the above operations.

u e .1 is a section takenon line ll --'ll of Fig. 1, with the shoe in open condition.

Referringto the drawings for a more detailed description thereof, the shoe comprises principally the upper 6 and the sole 1, the upper being formed from the blank shown in Fig. 3, which is 10 cut with a V-shaped notch in the middle of its back or rear portion to provide the entrance to the shoe. Both the upper and thesole are preferably formed of thin sheet rubber in the uncured state. the shoe being cured after theparts are put together. Furthermore theupper 6 and the sole 7 are .fiat and when out are made a little larger than their final dimensions inorder to allow for trimming.

In forming the shoe, the rear edge portions 8a and 8b of the upper are secured together by pressure, for instance, by feeding them between a fiat roller IE and a slightly bevelled rotating wheel 11, as in Fig. 6. The sole and. the upper are then placed together with their edge portions together and run between said roller and wheel using the sharp edge of the latter as a cutting edge, as in Fig. 7, so that the trimming is performed along the dotted lines shown in said figure. The pressure of the bevelled wheel I l on the uncured sole and upper is effective to cause these parts to adhere. The trimming and aflixing together of the sole and the upper are thus simultaneously accomplished, or, in other words, are eifected in one operation. A reenforcing thin strip of rubber 9 is then applied to the adjoining edges of the sole and the upper, pressure being employed in causing the uncured strip 9 to adhere to the upper and to the sole, it being understood that the mentioned strip is in contact with both 4.0 the upper and the sole. In performing this operation the parts are run between the roller it and wheel H, as shown in Fig. 8, without using the cutting edge of the latter. The rear edge portions 8a and 8b of the upper may then be reenforced by affixing with pressure a reenforcing strip IQ of thin uncured rubber. The edges H and I2 adjacent the opening of the shoe are also preferably reenforced either by inturning or by means of a separate strip of thin uncured rubber. The throat portion of the shoe is further preferably reenforced by means of a strip l5 of uncured rubber afiixed by means of pressure.

In applying the above reenforcing strips by pressure, the roller I 6 and wheel I! may be 56 utilized, without using the cutting edge, to press the parts together, for instance as shown in Fig. 9, which illustrates the step of applying the reenforcing strip ill to edges 8a and 8b. Since the other reenforcing steps are accomplished in the same manner and their performance will be readily understood, it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate the same.

After the joining and the reenforcing have been accomplished, the sole is infolded so that the same is covered by the shoe upper, as indicated in Fig. 1. The shoes are then placed on trays and loaded into a vulcanizer for curing. The curing may be done in any preferred or usual manner. r 1

The stocks in making the shoe of my invention may be of varying grades of rubber, which may include varying compounding ingredients and they may be of different colors or combinations it being possible to make such shoes on machines now used for manufacturing rubber bathing caps The use of reenforcing strips enables a manufacturer to use stocks of various gauges which otherwise might not be employed and my improved method enables shoes of the character mentioned to be made without lasts or forms which results in a large reduction in equipment costs and corresponding reduced cost of manufacturing. Furthermore the use of a waterproof material and the fact that the ankle part of the shoes tensionally fits the wearers ankles effectively prevent the contraction of athlete's foot or similar infectious diseases. The shape of the patterns allows the shoes to be worn interchangeably, that is to say, a. shoe will fit either the right foot or the left.

It is to be understood that shoes made in accordance with my invention may be formed of material other than rubber.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1. The method of making shoes which includes 10 forming a sole and an upper from uncured sheet rubber, simultaneously trimming and pressing into adhering relation said upper and said sole, applying and pressing a reenforcing uncured rubber strip into adhering relation to said upper and sole at the juncture thereof, and vulcanizing said shoe.

2. The method of making shoes which includes forming a sole from an uncured flat sheet of rubber, forming an upper from an uncured single fiat sheet of rubber, the latter step including the formation of a recess in the sheet extending forwardly from the rear edge thereof to form the entrance to the shoe and joining by pressure the rear marginal edges of the upper located on opposite sides of said recess, pressing into adhering relation said upper and said sole, applying and pressing a reinforcing uncured rubber strip in adhering relation to said upper and sole at the juncture thereof, and vulcanizing said shoe.

3. The method of making shoes which includes forming a sole and an upper from uncured sheet rubber, pressing into adhering relation said upper and said sole, applying and pressing a reenforcing uncured rubber strip into adhering relation to said upper and sole at the juncture thereof, and vulcanizing said shoe.

ERASMUS P. HEDOLIN. 

